Viewing optic with contours

ABSTRACT

A main body of a viewing optic comprising at least one void in the main body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a nonprovisional applicationof U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/961,447 filed Jan. 15, 2020,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to viewing optics. In one embodiment, thedisclosure relates to a riflescope tube. In one embodiment, thedisclosure relates to a riflescope tube having contours, which reduceweight compared to conventional riflescope tubes.

BACKGROUND

Today is the age of unprecedented technology—technology that makes ourlives easier and more connected at the push of a touch-screen and glaceof a monitor. For shooters, civilian or military, this is no less true.Shooters carry numerous components, each adding critical weight to gearbags. For the military, specifically, ruggedized (and oftentimesheavier) equivalents provide tactical awareness, allowing soldiers andMarines to see beyond their personal sight using GPS, smartphones,tablets, and even helmet-mounted screens. For shooters, one of the mostsignificant limitations, and perhaps the most significant limitation forour soldiers, is how much they can carry, and thus, reducing the weightof each and every component is important.

Today the average US soldier carries at least 60 pounds of gear, with anextended patrol often doubling that weight. Specialized warfighters,such as Automatic Riflemen, Combat Medics, and Special Operations cansee totals much higher. The average U.S. solider will have protectiveclothing, body armor and helmets, load carrying equipment, and a nick.

The bane of every soldier's and marine's existence, the rucksack cancome in many different shapes and sizes, from a large pack that holds100+ pounds of gear to a more modestly-sized patrol pack that holds 20to 30 pounds of gear. The longer the duration and more specialized thesoldier, the more gear that needs to be carried, especially if you'restepping out of an airplane inside enemy territory. In addition, themodern US soldier is bedecked in electronics, from night vision toradios, and new technology is coming using smartphones, tablets, andGPS.

The world has never seen better equipped warfighters, but it's nowbecome clear that they are overburdened as well. The US Armed Forces andthe Department of Defense have spearheaded initiatives to reduce weightin all categories, from case-less ammo to solar power.

Civilian shooters carry significantly lighter loads on average, butcivilian shooters often prioritize certain pieces of gear over others inorder to reduce the total load or avoid carrying a larger or secondarybag, resulting in a less-than-optimal set-up in some conditions.

For the reasons discussed above, having a viewing optic with reducedweight is advantageous. Thus, there is a large need for a viewing opticthat addresses these concerns.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the disclosure provides a main body of a viewingoptic. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a mainbody of a viewing optic comprises at least one void in the main body.

In a further embodiment, the main body includes a saddle portion havinga top side, a bottom side, a left side and a right side, and the atleast one void is in the saddle portion. In an embodiment, the main bodyhas at least two voids on a surface of the saddle portion. In anotherembodiment, the main body has a plurality of voids on the saddleportion. In an embodiment, the voids are symmetrically positioned aboutthe saddle portion.

In an embodiment, the plurality of voids comprises a first plurality ofvoids having a first geometry and at least one void having a secondgeometry. In a further embodiment, at least one of the first and secondgeometry is a pocket having a generally triangular profile. In yet afurther embodiment, the other of the first and second geometry is achannel.

In another embodiment, the saddle portion comprises eight voids havingthe first geometry and four voids having the second geometry, whereinone of the eight voids of the first geometry is positioned at each ofthe top front right, top front left, top back right, top back left,bottom front right, bottom front left, bottom back right and bottom backleft portions of the saddle, and wherein a void of the second geometryconnects the top front right and top back right voids of the firstgeometry, the top front left and top back left voids of the firstgeometry, the bottom front right and bottom back right voids of thefirst geometry, and the bottom front left and bottom back left voids ofthe first geometry. In a further embodiment, the voids are symmetricallypositioned about the saddle.

In an embodiment, the saddle portion has a weight which is at least 2%less than the weight of an identical saddle portion without theplurality of voids. In a further embodiment, the saddle portion has aweight from 0.1 oz to 1.0 oz less than that of an identical saddleportion without the plurality of voids.

In an embodiment, the at least one void is on the top side. In a furtherembodiment, the at least one void is on the bottom side. In yet afurther embodiment, the at least one void is on the left side. In stilla further embodiment, the at least one void is on the right side.

In another embodiment, the disclosure provides a viewing optic. Inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the viewing opticcomprises a main body comprising at least one void. In an embodiment,the viewing optic is a riflescope.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method ofmachining at least one void in a scope body comprising inserting a scopetube blank into a CNC mill; indexing the blank at 45 degrees off itsnormal axis; and machining, using an end mill, at least one voidperpendicular to an axis of the end mill. In a further embodiment, themethod further comprises indexing the blank 90 degrees; machining, usingthe end mill, at least one void perpendicular to the axis of the endmill; and repeating the indexing and machining steps two further times.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure are disclosed with reference to theaccompanying drawings and are for illustrative purposes only. Thedisclosure is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction or the arrangement of the components illustrated in thedrawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments or of beingpracticed or carried out in other various ways. Like reference numeralsare used to indicate like components. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a riflescope in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the turret of FIG. 1 taken alongline 2-2 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the saddle portion of a riflescope withthe adjustment knobs removed for clarity in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a 45° rotated side view of the turret saddle portion of ariflescope with the adjustment knobs removed for clarity in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the turret saddle portion of FIG. 3taken along line 5-5 in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic showing the orientation of pockets in the mainbody of the riflescope in relationship to the primary axis in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

Before explaining embodiments of the disclosure in detail, it is to beunderstood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and the arrangement of the components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Thetechnology of this present disclosure is capable of other embodiments orbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is forthe purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatuses and methods disclosed herein will now be described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichembodiments of the disclosure are shown. The apparatuses and methodsdisclosed herein may, however, be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will bethorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the inventionto those skilled in the art.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the set offeatures and/or capabilities may be readily adapted within the contextof a standalone weapons sight, front-mount or rear-mount clip-on weaponssight, and other permutations of filed deployed optical weapons sights.Further, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variouscombinations of features and capabilities may be incorporated intoadd-on modules for retrofitting existing fixed or variable weaponssights of any variety.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, itcan be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or layer.Alternatively, intervening elements or layers may be present. Incontrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,”“directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element orlayer, there are no intervening elements or layers present.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, and/orsections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element, component, region, or section from another element,component, region, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region,or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component,region, or section without departing from the disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) orfeature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that thespatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in thefigures is turned over, elements described as “below,” or “beneath”other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the otherelements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompassboth an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 90° or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The term “and/or” as used in a phrase such as “A and/or B” herein isintended to include both A and B; A or B; A (alone); and B (alone).Likewise, the term “and/or” as used in a phrase such as “A, B, and/or C”is intended to encompass each of the following embodiments: A, B, and C;A, B, or C; A or C; A or B; B or C; A and C; A and B; B and C; A(alone); B (alone); and C (alone).

The numerical ranges in this disclosure are approximate, and thus mayinclude values outside of the range unless otherwise indicated.Numerical ranges include all values from and including the lower and theupper values, in increments of one unit, provided that there is aseparation of at least two units between any lower value and any highervalue. As an example, if a compositional, physical or other property,such as, for example, molecular weight, melt index, temperature, etc.,is from 100 to 1,000, it is intended that all individual values, such as100, 101, 102, etc., and sub ranges, such as 100 to 144, 155 to 170, 197to 200, etc., are expressly enumerated. For ranges containing valueswhich are less than one or containing fractional numbers greater thanone (e.g., 1.1, 1.5, etc.), one unit is considered to be 0.0001, 0.001,0.01 or 0.1, as appropriate. For ranges containing single digit numbersless than ten (e.g., 1 to 5), one unit is typically considered to be0.1. These are only examples of what is specifically intended, and allpossible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value andthe highest value enumerated, are to be considered to be expresslystated in this disclosure. Numerical ranges are provided within thisdisclosure for, among other things, relative amounts of distances from auser of a device to a target, weights, percentages (e.g., of weightreduction) and other measurements.

All patents, patent applications, and non-patent literature referencesare incorporated herein in their entireties.

As used herein, an “erector tube” is any structure or device having anopening to receive an erector lens mount.

As used herein, a “firearm” is a portable gun, being a barreled weaponthat launches one or more projectiles often driven by the action of anexplosive force. As used herein, the term “firearm” includes a handgun,a long gun, a rifle, shotgun, a carbine, automatic weapons,semi-automatic weapons, a machine gun, a sub-machine gun, an automaticrifle, and an assault rifle.

As used herein, the term “viewing optic” refers to an apparatus used bya shooter or a spotter to select, identify or monitor a target. The“viewing optic” may rely on visual observation of the target, or, forexample, on infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), radar, thermal, microwave,or magnetic imaging, radiation including X-ray, gamma ray, isotope andparticle radiation, night vision, vibrational receptors includingultra-sound, sound pulse, sonar, seismic vibrations, magnetic resonance,gravitational receptors, broadcast frequencies including radio wave,television and cellular receptors, or other image of the target. Theimage of the target presented to the shooter by the “viewing optic”device may be unaltered, or it may be enhanced, for example, bymagnification, amplification, subtraction, superimposition, filtration,stabilization, template matching, or other means. The target selected,identified or monitored by the “viewing optic” may be within the line ofsight of the shooter, or tangential to the sight of the shooter, or theshooter's line of sight may be obstructed while the target acquisitiondevice presents a focused image of the target to the shooter. The imageof the target acquired by the “viewing optic” may be, for example,analog or digital, and shared, stored, archived, or transmitted within anetwork of one or more shooters and spotters by, for example, video,physical cable or wire, IR, radio wave, cellular connections, laserpulse, optical, 802.11b or other wireless transmission using, forexample, protocols such as html, SML, SOAP, X.25, SNA, etc., Bluetooth™,Serial, USB or other suitable image distribution method. The term“viewing optic” is used interchangeably with “optic sight.”

As used herein, the term “shooter” applies to either the operator makingthe shot or an individual observing the shot in collaboration with theoperator making the shot.

The disclosure relates to viewing optic with reduced weight. In oneembodiment, the disclosure relates to a viewing optic with a main bodyhaving pockets in the turret saddle. The disclosure is not limited tothese embodiments.

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a rifle scope 10, generally, in accordance withembodiments of the disclosure. The rifle scope 10 has a body 12 thatencloses a movable optical element 13, which is an erector tube. Thescope body 12 is an elongate tube having a larger opening at its front14 and a smaller opening at its rear 16. An eyepiece 18 is attached tothe rear of the scope body 12, and an objective lens 20 is attached tothe front of the scope body 12. The center axis of the movable opticalelement 13 defines the optical axis 17 of the rifle scope 10.

An elevation turret 22 and a windage turret 24 are two knobs in theoutside center part (or saddle 100) of the scope body 12. The turrets22, 24 are marked in increments by indicia 34 on their perimeters 30 and32 and are used to adjust the elevation and windage of the movableoptical element 13 for points of impact change. These knobs 22, 24protrude from the turret housing 36. The turrets 22, 24 are arranged sothat the elevation turret rotation axis 26 is perpendicular to thewindage turret rotation axis 28. Indicia typically include tick marks,each corresponding to a click, and larger tick marks at selectedintervals, as well as numerals indicating angle of adjustment ordistance for bullet drop compensation.

The movable optical element 13 is adjusted by rotating the turrets oneor more clicks. A click is one tactile adjustment increment on thewindage or elevation turret of the rifle scope 10, each of whichcorresponds to one of the indicial 34. In the current embodiment, oneclick changes the scope's point of impact by 0.1 milliradians (mrad).However, the turrets, systems and concepts disclosed herein can be usedwith other measures of increments. In other embodiments, the incrementscan be minutes of angle (MOA) increments.

FIGS. 3-6 show the saddle portion 100 of the scope body 12 in furtherdetail. The saddle 100 includes a plurality of voids 50. As used herein,a “void” refers to a volume of an otherwise solid object from whichmaterial has been removed to create an area having an absence ofmaterial. Voids may include pockets, depressions, hollows, channels,indentations, notches, and similar features, whether or not completelysurrounded or exposed on the outer surface of the saddle 100. In thespecific embodiment show, the voids 50 include at least a plurality ofpockets 50 a and/or plurality of channels 50 b. In an embodiment, two ormore pockets 50 a may be connected by one or more channels 50 b.

In an embodiment, the saddle 100 can have voids 50 on top 101, bottom102, left 103 and/or right 104 sides. In an embodiment, the saddle 100can have voids 50 on only the top 101 and/or bottom 102 sides. Inanother embodiment, the saddle 100 can have voids 50 on only the left103 and/or right 104 sides. In a further embodiment, the saddle 100 canhave one or more voids 50 on each of the top 101, bottom 102, left 103and right 104 sides.

In an embodiment, the saddle 100 can have voids in a symmetrical orasymmetrical, though preferably symmetrical, arrangement. In theembodiment shown in FIGS. 3-6, the optical axis 17 forms a horizontal(relative to the orientation shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) line of symmetry,and axis A forms a vertical line of symmetry. In one embodiment, thevoids 50 are symmetrically disposed on the saddle 50 relative to theoptical axis 17. In another embodiment, the voids 50 are symmetricallydisposed on the saddle 50 relative to axis A. In another embodiment, thevoids 50 are symmetrically disposed on the saddle 50 relative to boththe optical axis 17 and axis A.

In another embodiment, the saddle 100 can have an even number of voidsor an odd number of voids. Further, in an embodiment, the saddle 100 mayhave two or more voids that are identical in geometry (e.g., shape andvolume). In another embodiment, the saddle 100 may have two or morevoids that have different geometries. In another embodiment, the saddle100 may have three or more voids, with three or more differentgeometries. In a particular embodiment, the saddle 100 includes two ormore voids of two different geometries.

In an embodiment, the saddle 100 includes at least a plurality of voids50 having a first geometry and at least a plurality of voids 50 having asecond geometry. The number of voids 50 having a first geometry may begreater than or equal to the number of voids 50 having a secondgeometry.

In particular, and with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6, the voids 50 aremirrored about axis A, which is perpendicular to axis 17, and rotatedequally spaced around the axis 17. In the embodiment shown, there are atotal of eight (8) pockets 50 a and four (4) channels 50 b. One each ofthe pockets 50 a is found at the “corners” of the saddle 100, while thechannels 50 b connect the front and back channels on the upper right ofthe saddle 100, the front and back channels on the upper left of thesaddle 100, the front and back channels on the bottom right of thesaddle 100, and the front and back channels on the bottom left of thesaddle 100. With reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that, in thespecific embodiment described, one or more voids 50 (or morespecifically, channels 50 b) may form a contour between turrets 22, 24.

With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pockets 50 a are shown as generallytriangular in profile and having a depth into the surface of the saddle100. Similarly, the channels 50 b are shown as being generally linearwith a rounded cross-section. It will be appreciated that other shapesand void geometries may be used.

The voids 50 together serve to reduce the overall weight of theriflescope 10. By removing material that does not affect the function orstructural integrity of the riflescope 10, the overall weight of thestructure is reduced. In an embodiment, the weight of the main body 12of the riflescope 10 containing voids is reduced by at least 2%, or atleast 3%, or at least 4%, or at least 5%, or at least 6%, or at least7%, or at least 8%, or at least 9%, or at least 10%, compared to anidentical main body having no voids. In an embodiment, the weight of themain body 12 of the riflescope 10 containing voids is reduced by 2%, or3%, or 4%, or 5% to 6%, or 7%, or 8%, or 9%, or 10% to 15%, compared toan identical main body having no voids. In a particular embodiment, theweight of the main body 12 of the riflescope 10 is reduced by 3% ascompared to the weight of a main body of a riflescope to identicaldimensions.

In an embodiment, the weight of the main body 12 of the riflescope 10 isreduced from 0.1 oz, or 0.2 oz, or 0.3 oz, or 0.4 oz, or 0.5 oz to 0.6oz, or 0.7 oz, or 0.8 oz, or 0.9 oz, or 1.0 oz, or 1.5 oz. In aparticular embodiment, the weight of the main body 12 of the riflescope10 is reduced by 0.51 oz as compared to the weight of a main body of ariflescope to identical dimensions.

In addition to the utility of weight savings, the design of voids 50about the saddle 100 can serve as a quick and unique optical identity.That is, the voids 50 may be designed such to provide a distinct visualidentification of the riflescope. Having the ability to identify aproduct by a specific visual feature other than logos can provide acompetitive advantage by allowing bystanders and social media user topositively identify an optic an influencer is using without the need ofthat influencer to specifically callout the optic.

In the embodiments shown, the voids 50 are machined into the saddle 100.However, in further embodiments, the voids 50 may be created using othertechnologies, including, but not limited to, laser technologies, andeven manually.

In an embodiment, the disclosure provides a method for machining a mainbody, and particularly a saddle, of a riflescope.

To machine these features, the scope tube blank is mounted into a CNCmill with a 4^(th) axis rotary table. The part was indexed 45 degreesoff its normal axis, as shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the 0-degreeposition is identified, along with the 45-degree, 135-degree, 225-degreeand 315-degree positions. The spaces for the windage turret (not shown)and elevation turret (not shown), as well as the saddle cover (notshown) and illumination control (not shown) are also marked for clarity;however, it will be understood that the arrangement of these componentsmay be altered for some uses (e.g., opposite dominate hand) and/or otheradjustment mechanisms provided. Using a flat end mill, a majority ofmaterial was removed from the two pockets 50 a perpendicular to the axisof the end mill. A ball end mill was then used to machine in the finalshape and contours of the pockets 50 a. The same ball end mill then cutthe connecting channel 50 b and blending contours between these twopockets 50 a. The 4^(th) axis rotary table indexed the scope tubeanother 90 degrees and machined the next set of pockets 50 a andchannels 50 b. This was repeated for the final two sets of pockets 50 aand channels 50 b.

It will be appreciated that the above method describes a method formachining the specific exemplary main body 12, and particularly thespecific exemplary saddle portion 100, shown and described withreferences to the figures. As discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-6, thenumber, geometry and positioning of voids on the saddle 100 may varywithin the scope of this disclosure, and the method of machining may bemodified accordingly.

Various modifications and variations of the described compositions andmethods of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Oneskilled in the art will recognize at once that it would be possible toconstruct the present invention from a variety of materials and in avariety of different ways. Although the invention has been described inconnection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understoodthat the invention should not be unduly limited to such specificembodiments. While the preferred embodiments have been described indetail, and shown in the accompanying drawings, it will be evident thatvarious further modification are possible without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Indeed,various modifications of the described modes for carrying out theinvention which are obvious to those skilled in marksmanship or relatedfields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A main body of a viewing optic comprising atleast one void in the main body.
 2. The main body of claim 1, whereinthe main body further includes a saddle portion having a top side, abottom side, a left side, and a right side, and the at least one void isin the saddle portion.
 3. The main body of claim 1, comprising at leasttwo voids on a surface of the saddle portion.
 4. The main body of claim1, comprising a plurality of voids on a surface of the saddle portion.5. The main body of claim 4, wherein the plurality of voids aresymmetrically positioned on the saddle portion.
 6. The main body ofclaim 4, wherein the plurality of voids comprises a first plurality ofvoids having a first geometry and at least one void having a secondgeometry.
 7. The main body of claim 6, wherein one of the first andsecond geometry is a pocket having a generally triangular profile. 8.The main body of claim 7, wherein the other of the first and secondgeometry is a channel.
 9. The main body of claim 8, wherein the saddleportion comprises eight voids having the first geometry and four voidshaving the second geometry, wherein one of the eight voids of the firstgeometry is positioned at each of the top front right, top front left,top back right, top back left, bottom front right, bottom front left,bottom back right and bottom back left portions of the saddle, andwherein a void of the second geometry connects the top front right andtop back right voids of the first geometry, the top front left and topback left voids of the first geometry, the bottom front right and bottomback right voids of the first geometry, and the bottom front left andbottom back left voids of the first geometry.
 10. The main body of claim9, wherein the voids are symmetrically positioned about the saddle. 11.The main body of claim 4, wherein the saddle portion has a weight thatis at least 2% less than the weight of an identical saddle portionwithout the plurality of voids.
 12. The main body of claim 4, whereinthe saddle portion has a weight from 0.1 oz to 1.0 oz less than that ofan identical saddle portion without the plurality of voids.
 13. The mainbody of claim 2, wherein the at least one void is on the top side. 14.The main body of claim 2, wherein the at least one void is on the bottomside.
 15. The main body of claim 2, wherein the at least one void is onthe left side.
 16. The main body of claim 2, wherein the at least onevoid is on the right side.
 17. A viewing optic having the main body ofclaim
 1. 18. The viewing optic of claim 17, wherein the viewing optic isa riflescope.
 19. A method of machining at least one void in a scopebody comprising: inserting a scope tube blank into a CNC mill; indexingthe blank at 45 degrees off its normal axis; and machining, using an endmill, at least one void perpendicular to an axis of the end mill. 20.The method of claim 19 further comprising: indexing the blank 90degrees; machining, using the end mill, at least one void perpendicularto the axis of the end mill; and repeating the indexing and machiningsteps two further times.